Steve Hill, CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said he plans to meet Tuesday with the lead investigator looking into whether WNBA rules were violated when sponsorship deals were offered to Las Vegas Aces players last month.
by
Mark Anderson AP Sports Writer
June 17, 2024, 8:16 PM ET
• 4 min read
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau President Steve Hill said he plans to meet Tuesday with the lead investigator looking into whether he violated WNBA rules when he offered sponsorship deals to Las Vegas Aces players last month.
Hill announced on May 18 that the players would each be offered a $100,000 sponsorship by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for the next two years. The WNBA has hired the law firm Koble & Kim to investigate whether the league’s salary cap rules were circumvented. Founding partner Steven Koble is leading the investigation.
According to Spotrac, the sponsorship fee exceeds the average annual amount of the contracts of the team’s five top players.
Hill, the LVCVA’s CEO and chairman, said Monday that the association followed all WNBA guidelines, including working independently with the Aces on the sponsorship deal. He said a “handful” of proposed contracts sent to player representatives have been signed.
“We made a promise to the players and we’re keeping it,” Hill said. “We’ve done nothing wrong. (The players) have the right to sign sponsorship contracts. This is a legitimate sponsorship contract. … We’ve filmed all of the players and aired their footage, so we owe it to them. This is the first deliverable of the contract, so we’re moving forward.”
He said officials had told the team they planned to offer sponsorship deals to the players, but gave no details.
Before moving forward, the Aces told the LVCVA that they would first need to sponsor a team before they could get the right to use the club’s logo and other assets in any promotional materials, Hill said. The LVCVA has similar deals in place with the NFL’s Raiders and the NHL’s Golden Knights, he said.
Officials also asked the Aces for permission to enter the locker room to tell players the news, but gave no details other than that a sponsorship deal was being proposed. The Aces said they were unaware of the details.
Hill said he was unaware of any rules that would have prohibited the LVCVA from working with the Aces, who won two consecutive championships, to prepare a videotaped and promoted announcement by officials.
“It’s just a matter of logistics,” Hill said.
Hill said each player is under contract to receive $25,000 per month, with pro rata payments for released and rostered players.Each endorsement deal includes four elements: locker room video as a promotional tool, team photo, public appearances and use of name, image and likeness.
“We’re working with each agent on that,” Hill said.
This isn’t the first time the WNBA has investigated its aces.
Last year, the WNBA suspended coach Becky Hammon for two games and stripped the Aces of their 2025 first-round draft pick after determining the team violated league rules on player unfair treatment and workplace policies.
Hill said she didn’t know how far along the WNBA’s investigation into the sponsorship issue was.
“I think this is a very positive step for the teams, for the league,” Hill said. “Hopefully it raises the bar. Hopefully it opens people’s eyes a little bit to the values that have been siloed that we’re trying to unlock through these players.”
“I completely understand the need for the league to ask questions. I think all the league said is they’re going to open an investigation, but that has an ominous ring to it. I don’t know if that’s what they’re saying. I hope not. I think once the investigation is over they’ll say, ‘We’re fully following the rules and this might be a good thing,’ so I hope they’ll accept that.”
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